‘Fiona Bruce has been made the villain of the story’: TV colleagues say Question Time host ‘doesn’t deserve’ backlash over domestic abuse quote – because she has a legal obligation to give the official response to accusations
- Ms Bruce has stepped back as ambassador for domestic abuse charity Refuge
- Friends of the presenter say she has been ‘hung out to dry’ by BBC producers
BBC broadcaster Fiona Bruce has unfairly been made a ‘villain’ after she read a legal statement on Question Time when the panel discussed domestic abuse.
The presenter, 58, has been forced to step back as an ambassador for domestic abuse charity Refuge after a backlash for addressing the audience when claims were made about Stanley Johnson last Thursday.
Ms Bruce, 58, said she was ‘required to legally contextualise’ allegations that Mr Johnson broke the nose of Charlotte Johnson Wahl – his ex-wife and the mother of former prime minister Boris Johnson.
The QT presenter intervened after journalist Yasmin Alibhai-Brown referred to Stanley Johnson as a ‘wife beater’. Boris Johnson’s mother claimed in 2020 that Stanley ‘broke my nose’ and ‘made me feel like I deserved it’.
Today Ms Alibhai-Brown, 73, has said that Ms Bruce had been unfairly vilified. She wrote in the i newspaper: ‘She has been championing the rights of victimised females for over 25 years. She doesn’t deserve this. The real rogues – men who play down the seriousness of domestic violence – must be sitting back and enjoying the spectacle’.
Australian comedian Adam Hills, host of Channel 4’s The Last Leg, said he agreed with critics of the BBC that Ms Bruce had been unfairly turned into a ‘villain’. He tweeted: ‘As TV hosts, we are legally obliged to give the official response to an accusation, regardless of our opinion. We may not like it, but it’s the way things are’.
Fiona Bruce’s supporters said she has been unfairly made a ‘villain’ by the BBC for doing her job as a TV host after she read a legal statement on Question Time when the panel discussed claims Stanley Johnson broke his ex-wife’s nose
Australian comic and TV host Adam Hills believes that Fiona was just doing her job and has been unfairly vilified
Fiona has been ‘hung out to dry’ by BBC bosses, her supporters claim. Ms Bruce is understood to be ‘devastated’ by the response to her intervention during the show on Thursday, with allies now calling for the BBC to ‘better support its talent’.
READ MORE: Emily Maitlis takes a swipe at former bosses who rapped her for impartiality and says Gary Lineker row has exposed ‘organisational weakness’
It marks a bad week for the BBC after its Director General Tim Davie was accused of ‘capitulating’ to Gary Lineker over his anti-Tory tweets.
Earlier, Ms Bruce said in a statement that the words said during the programme are not an expression of her own opinions, adding she would never minimise domestic abuse.
She added: ‘I know survivors of domestic abuse have been distressed by what I was required to say on-air. For that, I am deeply sorry.
‘I cannot change what I was required to say but I can apologise for the very real impact that I can see it has had.
‘I have been a passionate advocate and campaigner for all survivors of domestic abuse, and have used my privileged position as a woman in the public eye to bring this issue to the fore, notably in my work for over 25 years with Refuge.
‘But following the events of last week, I have faced a social media storm, much of which mischaracterised what I said and took the form of personal abuse directed at me.
‘The only people that matter in all this are the survivors, they are my priority.’
Last week on Question Time, journalist Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, who was on the panel, said 82-year-old Mr Johnson’s alleged history of violence was ‘on record’ and claimed he was a ‘wife beater’.
They were discussing claims Boris Johnson has put his father forward for a knighthood.
Ms Bruce interrupted Ms Alibhai-Brown and told the audience: ‘I’m not disputing what you’re saying, but just so everyone knows what this is referring to, Stanley Johnson’s wife spoke to a journalist, Tom Bower, and she said that Stanley Johnson had broken her nose and that she’d ended up in hospital as a result.
‘Stanley Johnson has not commented publicly on that. Friends of his have said it did happen but it was a one-off.’
Stanley Johnson with Charlotte and their children – with Boris pictured centre – in the 70s. Tom Bower describes Stanley’s first marriage to Boris’s mother Charlotte as violent and unhappy, quoting her as saying: ‘He broke my nose. He made me feel like I deserved it’
Ms Bruce said she did not want the furore following the show to create a ‘distraction’ for Refuge and it had been a ‘hard decision’ to step back because she feels ‘so strongly’ about tackling domestic abuse.
The Antiques Roadshow presenter added: ‘I will continue to be an active supporter, albeit from the sidelines for now.’
READ MORE: Rishi Sunak takes thinly veiled swipe at Boris Johnson after he nominated father Stanley for knighthood
Rishi Sunak took a thinly veiled swipe at Boris Johnson over reports he has nominated his father for a knighthood.
When asked if honours should go to family members and if he would ever nominate a relative, the Prime Minister joked that the best his own dad gets is a card on Father’s Day.
Mr Johnson’s office has not denied reports that he has nominated Stanley Johnson for a knighthood.
Speaking to reporters on a Eurostar train on his way to the Anglo-French summit in Paris, Mr Sunak said: ‘For me, a big success is remembering to get my dad a card on Father’s Day, so that is probably about my limit… if I am doing a card, I’m doing well.’
He added: ‘There is always comment and speculation about honours lists beforehand.
In a statement on Friday, the BBC said: ‘Domestic abuse is abhorrent, and we would never wish to suggest otherwise.
‘When serious allegations are made on air against people or organisations, it is the job of BBC presenters to ensure that the context of those allegations – and any right of reply from the person or organisation – is given to the audience, and this is what Fiona Bruce was doing last night.
‘She was not expressing any personal opinion about the situation.’
Refuge thanked Ms Bruce for her ‘considerable contribution’ to their work over the years but acknowledged that while the words the BBC presenter had used on Question Time were not her own they had ‘minimised the seriousness of domestic abuse’.
In a statement , the charity said: ‘Refuge’s position was, and remains, clear – domestic abuse is never a “one-off”, it is a pattern of behaviour that can manifest in a number of ways, including but not limited to physical abuse. Domestic abuse is never acceptable.
‘Over the weekend we have been listening to, and heard, survivors of domestic abuse who have told us how devastating this has been for them.
‘While we know the words were not Fiona’s own and were words she was legally obliged to read out, this does not lessen their impact and we cannot lose sight of that.
‘These words minimised the seriousness of domestic abuse and this has been retraumatising for survivors.’
In his biography of Boris Johnson, renowned investigative author Mr Bower describes Stanley’s first marriage as violent and unhappy, quoting Charlotte, Boris’s mother, as saying: ‘He broke my nose. He made me feel like I deserved it.’
Charlotte, who died in 2021, told the author: ‘I want the truth to be told.’
Stanley Johnson’s alleged violence towards Boris’s mother Charlotte, an artist, was revealed in a biography of his son Boris by the renowned investigative author Tom Bower
It follows a major controversy over reports Boris has nominated his father for a knighthood in his resignation honours list.
The former PM’s office has not denied the claims, which provoked a wry comment from Rishi Sunak on Friday.
When asked if honours should go to family members and if he would ever nominate a relative, the Prime Minister joked that the best his own dad gets is a card on Father’s Day.
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